Dizzee Rascal / El-P/ Aaron La Crate
Capital Music Hall, Ottawa ON May 12
By Daniel Sylvester
Mere weeks after Buck 65 and Cadence Weapon hit Ottawa’s Bronson Centre, the capital was treated to another high profile split headline show as Dizzee Rascal teamed with Definitive Jux label-mate/boss El-P for a Monday night visit. Unfortunately, L.A. rapper Busdriver skipped the Ottawa date, leaving the opening slot to Dizzee’s DJ Aaron LaCrate. The Brooklynite turned the ten o’clock hour from mild background entertainment to an intense DJ set that mimicked Diplo’s stack-em-up beats. Taking the stage with his hype-man Mighty Quin and ex-Atmosphere DJ Mr. Dibbs, El-Producto kicked the set off with an adaptation of “Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)” sounding denser than he has on I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. El-P, who comes off more Seth Green than Cee-Lo Green in person, laboured though a set of material that included a handful of Company Flow tracks. Trading off verses with Mighty Quin, El-P’s high-energy performance culminated with a theatrical collapse to the floor, remaining there as Mr. Dibbs mixed beats to put the set to bed. Dizzee Rascal erupted to the stage in typical new school hip-hop manner as Dizzee and hype man Semtex walked onto the stage as if they were two of the most confident motherfuckers on the planet. Sensing that most of the crowd was unfamiliar with his set, Dizzee dropped it into high gear, effortlessly spitting out verses while entering a “What’s my name?” and “Dizzee Rascal!” call and response with the audience. As Dizzee wrapped up the night with “Pussy’ole,” he reached his slender frame over the now enthusiastic crowd strategically hanging his thumb above the heads of the first two rows. Perhaps it was a meaningless hip-hop pose, but to the minds of many, it symbolised what Dizzee’s been doing to every critic and city he crosses paths with. Like everywhere else, he had Ottawa under his thumb.
Arch Enemy / Dark Tranquillity / Divine Heresy / Firewind
Treating a sold-out club like a packed arena, Arch Enemy delivered another explosive set for Toronto fans on their latest tour, Tyranny & Bloodshred 2008. A reported cold barely held back front-woman Angela Gossow, whose onstage attitude and growls are always at least three times her size. A
...Read More
The Magic Kids - Memphis 5536
From their sunny harmonies and chipper arrangements, Magic Kids appear to be the offspring of a Wilson brother or three. Like Big Star before them, these sprightly 20somethings sound more like your standard pop act from California, but instead call Memphis, TN home. Magic Kids are proud of their...
Full Review
Margaret Cho
Comedian Margaret Cho adds another hyphenate to her career this month with the release of her first all-music album Cho Dependent. Working in the comedy music world forged by the likes of Weird Al Yankovic comes naturally to the 41-year-old, who describes herself as a "longtime backstage staple."...
Read More
Matthew Dear
Raised in Texas and now based in New York, Matthew Dear aims to make music not easily catalogued. Matthew has been producing high-quality electronic music for ten years ― using names False, Jabberjaw, Audion and Matthew Dear ― for labels such as M_nus, Spectral Sound, and Ghostly International....
Read More
Treating a sold-out club like a packed arena, Arch Enemy delivered another explosive set for Toronto fans on their latest tour, Tyranny & Bloodshred 2008. A reported cold barely held back front-woman Angela Gossow, whose onstage attitude and growls are always at least three times her size. A
...
From their sunny harmonies and chipper arrangements, Magic Kids appear to be the offspring of a Wilson brother or three. Like Big Star before them, these sprightly 20somethings sound more like your standard pop act from California, but instead call Memphis, TN home. Magic Kids are proud of their...
Comedian Margaret Cho adds another hyphenate to her career this month with the release of her first all-music album Cho Dependent. Working in the comedy music world forged by the likes of Weird Al Yankovic comes naturally to the 41-year-old, who describes herself as a "longtime backstage staple."...
Raised in Texas and now based in New York, Matthew Dear aims to make music not easily catalogued. Matthew has been producing high-quality electronic music for ten years ― using names False, Jabberjaw, Audion and Matthew Dear ― for labels such as M_nus, Spectral Sound, and Ghostly International....
